Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 11 June 2018 | Page 17

Photographs: JITENDER GUPTA
“letters of satisfaction signed by her son”
and that “no money (was) charged dur­
ing the entire stay”.
The Rajasthan government launched
the
first phase of BSBY on December 13,
THIEVERY IN
2015.
New directions for phase two were
DISGUISE Far
issued
two years later. The medical ins­
left, Ramkumar
urance scheme has an annual cover of
Bhopa’s BSBY
Rs 30,000 for treatment of ordinary dis­
card says he had
eases, besides Rs 3 lakh for serious ones.
undergone
Its obj­ectives are to implement cashless
laparoscopy,
treatment, reduce out-of-pocket costs for
even though he
was not operated people seeking private healthcare and
ease burden on public hospitals. To be
upon; a very ill
eligible, one has to have a Bhamashah
Yashoda Devi
card (made in the woman family-mem­
with her son
ber’s name), and be enrolled under the
Govind and
National
Food Security Act.
daughter. She
BSBY
followed
up on the acclaimed free
was put in the
medicine
scheme
launched by the Con­
ICU till her
gress
government
led
by Ashok Gehlot in
BSBY money ran
2011.
BSBY
was
applauded
too, with rep­
out, he alleges.
orts saying the National Health Prot­ection
Scheme, dubbed ‘Modicare’, was drawn
on the lines of Bhamashah Yojana.
A scrutiny of Bhamashah can, therefore,
help plug loopholes, if any, in the national
scheme. Take the case of 60-­year-old
Devi was shifted to the general ward on ICU. If they’d kept her in general, the Mindro Kaur from Alwar. She visited the
Govind’s insistence. The doctors allowed money wouldn’t have been spent. Now local Anil Hospital to treat her gall blad­
der stones. The long cut mark on her
it with a caveat: “If something happens to Rs 3 lakh is over,” says Govind.
A new file was made in Yashoda Devi’s lower abdomen indicates open surgery,
her, you’ll have to take her to SMS.”
On those 33 days, Govind says: “(They) name from March 10 after the BSBY not laparoscopy. But her Bhamashah
kept her on the ventilator for 3-5 days, credit ran out. “I asked why they put her card shows a deduction of Rs 22,750 for
then took it off. Then they shifted her to back in ICU when she’d gotten better in two secondary laparoscopic procedures.
the HDU (High Dependency Unit) ward general. They couldn’t exhaust the Kaur alleges the hospital also charged an
because of rush at the ICU. Why didn’t money there. They shifted her back to additional Rs 20,000. “We gave it....
they shift her to a general ward? She was finish that money,” Govind alleges. He Whatever they asked, we’d give. We were
normal, just not speaking. They put her now has to spend Rs 2,000-3,000 daily helpless,” says Mindro. Hospital auth­
orites “got it signed from my relatives
in an ICU to squeeze Rs 8,000 from us for her medical expenses.
Dr Shailesh Jhawar from Apex con­ that we wouldn’t tell anyone. We didn’t
daily, because we had Bhamashah.”
“In fact, she was better off in the general firmed to Outlook over e-mail that get any bills,” she adds.
Much the same boxes are ticked in the
ward. I used to give her oil massages, Yashoda Devi was “under the care of
make her sit up...the ICU attendants superspecialty and critical care” and case of Radhey Shyam Saini, 22, a mec­
would just do the formalities,” says was “shifted to HDU and finally to ward” hanic in Alwar. On December 31, 2017, a
Govind. She had been unconscious in after her condition “gradually impr­ hernia operation was performed on him
the ICU and HDU, and started opening oved”. Jhawar says she “developed fever at Global Hospital in Alwar. His Bha­ma­
and had difficulty in breathing” in the shah card shows a transaction of Rs 15,000
her eyes in the general ward, he adds.
general ward, and so was for a laparoscopic procedure. How­­ever, he
On March 5, Govind was
shifted back to ICU for angles down the side of his trousers to
out of Jaipur to arrange for
three days “for better show a long incision. He too doesn’t know
money. “I knew our BSBY
Other than
monitoring and care”, “how much money they took”.
card was running out...
In some cases, insurance was claimed
bef­ore being discharged.
what if something happe­ wrongfully
Her condition was life-­ for procedures allegedly not even per­
ned?” Suddenly, he was claiming the
threatening and her “rec­ formed. Outlook met Ram Kunvar Bhopa,
told his mother was being whole BSBY
overy...itself proves she 60, outside his thatched house in Nangli
shifted back to the ICU. He sum, hospitals
was managed properly,” Megha village in Alwar. His wife Rohini
called his cousin in Mum­
Jhawar writes. He denies had Rs 100 on her when her husband was
bai, who lodged a complaint. are charging
a complaint was registe­ unable to breathe one night. She took
“Doctors know the patient for fictitious
red, and claims they have him to Ayaan Hospital where even that
is poor and doesn’t need surgeries too.
11 June 2018 OUTLOOK 17